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Democrats warm to last-ditch energy push

The renewable energy bill is headed by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Sam Brownback.
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “strongly supports a national renewable electricity standard,” said spokeswoman Regan Lachapelle. “But there is very limited time before the October recess, and probably even during the lame duck, so the proponents of a stand-alone RES will need to demonstrate they have 60 votes for swift floor action before floor consideration could be scheduled.”

Underscoring the difficulty the bill’s backers face, sponsors thought they had scored a major victory Wednesday by luring Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) to add his name as a co-sponsor, but those plans appeared to fall apart hours later, sources told POLITICO.

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Bayh’s staff declined to comment on speculation the senator was jumping on board other than to say the rumors he was a co-sponsor were false. “No, not true,” a spokesman said via e-mail. “Not a co-sponsor.”

As for the White House, a spokesman said officials are “evaluating the legislation.”

The limited congressional schedule also means any changes could be deadly.

Brownback said keeping the standard at 15 percent by 2021 is key to persuading conservatives to go along with the plan. “This needs to be 15 percent and set,” he said.

Likewise, both Brownback and Bingaman said they decided not to add ethanol or nuclear provisions to keep things simple and maintain momentum. “People can’t get cute with this,” Brownback said. “If things get added on that are extraneous, you’re going to see people shuck off of it.”

That said, the temptation for the bill to turn into a “Christmas tree” measure may be too much for lawmakers to avoid. “A lot of people are going to say, ‘If we’re going to do that, why don’t we do the energy efficiency? Why don’t we deal with nuclear?’” Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) said Tuesday.

Wheeler doesn’t think an RES will gain momentum because it’s such a big piece of other energy efforts. “If you accomplish just the RES in a lame duck, it kind of diminishes the hope for getting a broader energy bill done in the next Congress,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also isn’t a fan. “Sen. McConnell does not support an electricity rate hike, particularly in the middle of a recession,” said spokesman Don Stewart. “He wasn’t for the president’s job-killing national energy tax, and he’s not for this utility rate tax hike on Kentuckians either.”

Correction: A previous version of this story contained the incorrect name of Sean Garren’s organization.

The purpose of that bill was merely to give Obama something to take to Copenhagen.

The President of the United States had to have some token of "good will" to show American resolve, if he hoped to negotiate any climate terms with the likes of China and India. As an initial proposal, the fact that "Cap and Trade" passed in the lower house accomplished that limited purpose.

So, the bill was rushed through for the sake of the negotiations at Copenhagen. Obviously, "Cap and Trade" never had a chance in the the Senate. In fact, several Republican Senators, including Tom Coburn and/or James Inhofe, went to Copenhagen determined to undermine the President by very publicly stating that the American "Cap and Trade" proposal was meaningless and would never pass the Senate.

By destroying America's negotiating position at Copenhagen, Republicans have done enough harm already. Why can't they give it a rest?

The environmental community never supported Cap and Trade. Congressmen like Lloyd Doggett were corralled at the last minute because, to make any progress at Copenhagen, the President needed to have something in his hands besides his pecker.

Republicans Could Win This Debate IF The GOP would get to that President Eisenhower Path -( "Ike" Built The National Interstate Highway System) and IF The Republicans could speak The Truth that "Trickle Down" Never Trickles Down To Community Banks, Small "Start-Up" Businesses or Your Kitchen Table.... - but - history may record as a "Missed Opportunity"

Note: We know that Democrats are really good at this "Clean-Up-Part" but we also know that they have no spine, so, they vote with the "Trickle Down Crew" instead of Finding Those Few "Ike" Republicans who have Real Solutions....

Sidebar: [If the grassroots Tea-Party Movement was real then They Would Vote Mich McConnell out and find an "Ike" Republican with enough guts To Build The New Product Energy GRID.]